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25.2.10

Chasing Your Dreams

Greetings from Whistler, BC, the site of the 2010 Olympic downhill skiing events and Sliding Center!

It's been an amazing experience to be here at the Olympics, watching people chase their dreams. We came out to support luger Ruben Gonzalez, competing for Venezuela.

As you know, the unthinkable happened. A young Georgian luger tragically died on turn sixteen at the Whistler Sliding Center while pursuing his Olympic dream.

I was impressed by the way the other athletes were undeterred--shaken, but not stirred to quote a famous character.

And I learned a lot from the experience of watching others.

A couple of days later, I took an impressive fall on one of Whistler's magnificent ski runs. (I felt much better when I saw an Austrian Olympian crash on the same run!) I landed chin first and ended up with whiplash from the impact.

I was lucky. First of all, I wasn't seriously injured. Second of all, I was skiing with a coach who knew all the right things to say to get me headed back down the slope. My confidence took as much of a beating as my ego and my body. But deep down, I wanted to go for experience completely, totally.

I skied the next day, as well, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to ski in a part of the world I may never get back to. The Canadian Rockies are majestic and impressive

We all have places in our lives where we want to go for it, to experience life fully. We may experience fear (I certainly did after my ski crash), but we shouldn't let fear deter us. We need to be smart, make sure we cover our bases (helmets, protective gear, taking lessons, etc.), but when we have a dream, we should chase it, whether it's writing a book, taking a trip, racing a car.

I'm happy to report that Ruben slid well. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling a whole lot better (thanks, Coach!). And what was the take-away from watching others chase their dreams...? I'm planning a trip to the Olympics in London to be inspired all over again.

Being around people who are inspired is inspiring.

So, if you want to write, find other writers. If you want to be the best, find a coach and others who are doing what you want to do.